Wheel.



UN TED sTAT as ra'rnnr O FICE.

ROBERT C. BLEAN, OF STURGlS, MlUlllGAN, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS,

Na. 918,1 1s.

Specification of Letters Patent.

or STURGlS, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION or Patented April 13, 1909.

Application filed January 13, 190B. seriarno. 410,555.

To all whom it concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT C. BLEAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Sturgis, in the county of St. Joseph and State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Wheels, of which the following is a Specification;

My invention relates particularly to metalwheels such as are used for baby-carriages, go-ca1 "ts, doll-carriages and'the like; and my primary object is to provide aninexpensive Wheel 0 the character indicated which is 7 light and of yery durable construction, as

well as an improved method of constructing embodiment in the accompanying drawing,

in which Figure 1 represents a broken side elevational View of a wheel constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2, a broken sectional view of the same; Fig. 3, a View of a spoke employed; Fig. 4, a broken sectional view on an enlarged scale,'showing'the construction at the hub of the wheel; big. 5, a

broken perspective View showing a fragment of the wheel in the process of construction and before the insertion of thehubbarrel; Fig. 6, a similar viewafter the insertion of the hub-barrel; Fig. 7, a section taken, as indicated, at line 7 of Fig. 8 and showing the ,manner in which the ends of the annular member which forms the rim of the wheel are joined together; andv Fig. 8, a section taken, as indicated, at line 8 of Fig. 7.

2 In the construction illustrated, the wheel comprises a rim A; a tire A spokes B and a hub C.

The rimA is formed from a sheet-netal ribbon or band a which 1s given a dished or con-- caved cross-section and curved into annular form to receive the tire, and clip a) which serves to connect the abutting ends of the annular member. The clip a is dished to conform to the rim-member a, as shown in Fig. 7, and has itsextremities a bent over into contact with the. concave surface of the rim-member a, as clearly shown in Figs. 7 and 8. 'T he tire may be of any suitable con struction. i 7

Each tpoke B has at its outer end an up set portion or head b and has a laterallyturned inner end If. The rim-member a is provided with perforations which are countersunk at the exterior surface of the rim to said projecting end-portions, are spun outwardly or riveted to form flanges serving to retain the hub-rims c firmly in place on the end-portions of the hub-barrel. The hub-rims c are provided with perforations which are arranged in pairs corresponding with the pairs ofperforations in the rim of the wheel, and the perforations in the hub rims receive the laterally-turned ends b of the spokes, the extremities of said laterallyturned ends being upset or riveted at the exterior of the hub-rims, thus forming heads 0.

The sheet-metal clip a is provided with lugs a which enter perforations in the rimmember a, when the clip is applied, as best shown in Fig. 8.

The manner of assembling the parts is preferably as follows: The wire-spokes of one side of' the wheel, with the heads 1) preparatdrily formed and the inner ends 6 preparatorily laterally turned,

are entered throughthe perforations in the wheel-rim from the exterior, and the laterally-turned innerv ends of said spokes are then inserted through the perforations in the corresponding hubzrim 0 The inner ends of said spokes are then subjected to the action of a press which rivets them. The remainder of the spokes are then inserted, and their in ner ends are entered in the other hub-rim and press-riveted. The hub-barrel is then inserted, the hubrims 0 being separated to permit the insertion of the hub-barrel and the wheel-rim yielding to permit the spreading of the hub-rims c,- as shown in Fig. 6,

I and after the barrel is inserted, itsends are upset, spun or riveted .to form the flanges 0 The. annular member a is then in condition so that its ends may be brought into abutting relation and the clip a applied.

If desired, the hub-rims 0 may be placed upon the hub-barrel before the inner ends of the spokes are connected with the hub-rims, and an annular anvil may be then placed about the hub-barrel and the wheel subjected to the action of apress to rivet the inner ends of the spokes, after which the ends of the annular rim 0 may be connected by the clip a.

It will be noted in Fig. 8 that the ends of the annular rim-member a do not closely abut, and it may be stated that in punching the holes for the lugs a? of thevclip a they are purposely punched close enough to the ends of the member a to insure a slight space when the clip is, applied. This facilitates the assemblage of the parts and renders unnecessary absolute accuracy in constructing the arts] i T ie foregoing detailed description has been given for clearness of understanding only, and no undue limitation should be understood therefrom.

What I regard as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A wheel comprising a rim provided with. perforationsspokes entered 1n said perforations and having heads at the exterior of the,

] rim and having outwardly turned inner ends, hubrims having perforations in which said outwardly turned ends are entered and riveted, and a hub-barrel having flanges s acing said hub-rims, the ends of said barre extending through said hub-rims and riveted at the exterior thereof.-

' 2. The method of producing and assembling a wheel, which consists in employing a perforate annular rim formed with discon- ROBERT C. BLEAN.

In presence of:

RALPH A. SCHAEFER, W. 'l. JoNEs.

nected ends, entering wire-spokes through 

